Sagar Das, a young football player in Kolkata, passed away on Tuesday evening while playing the sport when he tried to mimic his idol Lionel Messi’s style of play.
The 20-year-old Sagar was playing a local match at Belgharia’s Deshapriyanagar Byamagar when the fatal accident took place, according to a report in Latestly.
During the match, the youngster tried to copy Messi’s move during the FIFA World Cup 2018 match against Nigeria, when the Barcelona talisman took the ball on his chest and shot to score the game’s opening goal.
When attempting the move, Sagar lost his balance and the ball hit his chest. This rendered him unconscious and he was rushed to Kamarhati Sagar Dutta Medical College Hospital but he tragically passed away on Wednesday morning.
“He watched each and every match till late at night during this World Cup. He was a die-hard fan of Messi. He was so obsessed with the World Cup that he forgot studies. During Tuesday’s match between two local teams, he was trying to perform some moves and passes imitating Messi’s style,” Sagar’s cousin Samar Koyal said, according to the report in Latestly.